WonkComms Breakfast Club: How Think Tanks Talked About Hot Election Issues

Wednesday, March 5th, 2025, 9:00–10:00 a.m. (CET). An optional 30-minute networking session will immediately follow as of 10:00 a.m.

Address: Robert Bosch Stiftung, Französische Straße 32, 10117 Berlin

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In this post-election edition of Breakfast Club, we’ll be asking battle-scarred comms officers to pick themselves up, dust themselves off, and reflect on a chaotic and anxiety-inducing campaign. And we’ll ask a simple question – did think tanks actually make any difference to the German election?

Specifically, we’ll be looking at how think tank communicators shaped and responded to the hot-button election issues. Which messages resonated and which ones fell flat? Which think tanks succeeded in cutting through the noise with evidence-based insights? What did we learn about the role of expertise in a dynamic news environment that is increasingly dominated by populist perspectives? And what now?

Don’t worry, this is a safe space…

Our conversation will be kickstarted by Frank Jordans discussing the ways in which experts talked about energy and climate; Isabelle Schäfer assessing how the research community sought to influence the migration debate; and Julia von Dobeneck explaining the response of think tanks and foundations to issues related to peace and security.

WonkComms Breakfast Club is a series of informal events (and, occasionally, a mutual support group) that brings comms professionals from think tanks together to discuss issues of common interest.

Coffee, croissants and comms—what could be a better start to your morning?

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Speakers:

, Senior Project Manager at Foundation on Peace in the Western Balkans, Robert Bosch Stiftung

, Senior Manager Press and Communications Industry & Hydrogen at Agora Industry

, Research Fellow, Center for Migration at German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP)

Moderator:

, Head of Communications at German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP)

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About WonkComms Breakfast Clubs: WonkComms is a global network of think tank communications professionals who share ideas and best practices. Our first event was in the UK in 2013 and we have since expanded our activities to the USA, Latin America and now to Germany. We organize informal events on subjects that are of practical interest to our community – including previous Breakfast Club series in London and Washington DC. You can find us on X and LinkedIn.The WonkComms Breakfast Club series in Berlin is organised by the Think Tank Lab and Soapbox.

Host or Publisher WonkComms